In Dominican Republic, sneak peek at my apartment

My home for the next 4 months or so.

Can a glove fit over my finger ?

My sister dropped a 25 pound weight on my finger. I had to go to a clinic to get an x-ray. The bone on the tip of my finger is cracked at two places. They put me a splint that I will keep for the next couple of weeks. I also have to dunk my finger in cold water for the next three to four days, after that, it will be warm water from her three to four days on the next couple weeks need to talk my finger in cold water for next three to four days, and then in warm water for another three to four days to reduce the swelling in my finger. Right now it looks like a light bulb but a black light bulb.

I wonder if the metal splint will kick off the metal detector at the airport? Will I have to check out my splint with the stewardess in case it may be considered a lethal weapon?

All these and more will be answered in the next episode of the New Adventures of The Man Of The Seas.

Building a video camera underwater housing

I just bought a Handycam and I am planning on building an underwater housing for it.

I will keep you posted on my little experiment.

I think I should get out of health issues

More specifically about women issues. My Google AdSense start showing ads about female menopause.

Back to scuba diving news . . . soon.

Technical Diving Conference Hosted by DAN

Coming Soon – January Technical Diving Conference Hosted by DAN

In January 2008, the technical diving community will come together for a ground-breaking and important meeting of minds. The two-day conference sponsored by DAN® and planned for Jan. 18-19, 2008, in Durham, N.C., features four half-day workshops on physiology, decompression, rebreathers and training issues.

The conference will be held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center-Research Triangle Park in Durham, N.C. A special block of guest rooms will be held until Dec. 28, 2007.

Visit the DAN website at http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/events/ for more information on:

• Conference details and registration form.

• A detailed schedule of events and summaries of the individual workshops.

• Sponsorship opportunities. Anyone interested in being a co-sponsor of the technical diving conference and being included in all subsequent publications.

WANTED: Female scubadiving volunteers to test contraceptive implants

We all know that as of yet, no woman has volunteered to dive while being pregnant because there is no way of knowing how the pregnancy might be affected.

Sure, there are several sea mammals that gestate underwater but then again, they can stay up to an hour underwater on a single breath . . . So, if a human female can do that, maybe she'd have the prerequisite for being pregnant. Maybe humans can be pregnant and dive but there is no research to substantiate that and with no volunteers, no research, no research, no proof. It's the old chicken and egg thing.

Now, with that overlong intro done, on with the title topic:

Referreing to a recently introduced subcutaneous device with time release of female hormones so as to provide contraception. The device releases hormones into the body by way of the implant put under the skin and so for a period of 3 years.

There is no specific bibliography or experience on the special subject as regards to scubadiving but, as the release of active substances is based on solution of the chemical principles, and not on mechanical or electrically driven injection, there should be no adverse side effect connected to diving.

A piece of advice could be to investigate about the resistance to external pressure of the implant with the manufacturer, as this can be an issue of interest not only for diving but also for any other kind of activity wherein undue pressure would be applied on the implant.

The only other implants that are frequently used underwater are breast implants. But then, what are those implants filled in with ? Salt water, kind of like sea water now, isn't it.

Quick way of identifying a potential stroke victim

There is an email that is circulating and that is actually spreading valid information. A change from all those hoax emails spreading urban legends.

As usual, I checked snopes for the veracity of the information and it appears to be genuine. The three step method consist in asking the suspected stroke victim to:
smile
raise their arms
repeat a simple sentence coherently (the sun is bright today)

If the person fails at any one of those three simple tests, one should immediately call 911. There are new drugs that, if administered within 3 hours of a stroke, can limit disability from strokes caused by clots. This means that time is of the essence.

Of course, don't go about asking anybody to smile, raise their arms, etc. There has to be a just cause for concern, such as a person dropping on the floor (loss of balance, diziness) which they would dismiss as just losing their footing. But if the fall looks suspicious (no ice, no slippery surface, no uneveness on the walking surface, etc...) then use the fall as an excuse to do a quick physical check up. After all, the person did fall and could have twisted or broken something. Then, follow the check up with the three step test.

In a scuba diving situation, someone who is victim of a decompression sickness could show similar signs. A diver trained in neurological assessment could probably spot the subtelties. But whether a diver is the victim of a stroke or a deco sickness, in both cases, speed of intervention is important. Scubadivers should be especially conscious of such signs and act on them. Because of the bends, some of those signs.